This invention relates to a forced air extrusion cooling apparatus and is particularly adapted for cooling elongated hot aluminum extruded members or other similar hot extruded members.
In modern manufacture of elements from aluminum, copper, plastic and the like, extrusion apparatus is often used to form an elongated extruded member. The extrusion apparatus may include a single die or a series of side-by-side heated die through which the molten or plastic aluminum or other material is forced under pressure. The extruded member is pulled or carried from the extrusion heated die as a continuous, long member for subsequent processing. The pressure, temperatures and the like are of course related to the particular materials and the particular extrusion process. Generally, the hot extruded member is reasonably self-supporting, and may be carried from the die or deposited onto a suitable conveyor means which carries the elongated extruded member from the extrusion die. The elongated member is then transferred to another working station. For example, an aluminum extruded I-Beam may be transferred to a stretching machine which stretches the extruded member. Forced cooling of the extruded member is often provided by suitable air blowers in order to protect and properly condition the metal for subsequent handling and processing. For example, a plurality of more tubular axial flow fans may be mounted beneath the transfer conveyor for moving the extruded I-Beam members to the stretching machine. Although such air fan apparatus is widely used, difficulty has been encountered in maintaining and producing high quality, uniform characteristics in the aluminum extruded member because of the flow pattern. Apparently small variation in the air cooling flow may change the characteristic of the aluminum extruded member throughout the length of the extruded element. If the metal characteristic of the metal in the extruded member is not uniform, the metal element is distorted or fails in the stretching apparatus.